The invention relates to digital television (DTV) receivers and, more particularly, to the synchronization of data fields in DTV receivers.
A Digital Television Standard published Sep. 16, 1995 by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) specifies vestigial sideband (VSB) signals for transmitting digital television signals in 6-MHz-bandwidth television channels such as those currently used in over-the-air broadcasting of National Television System Committee (NTSC) analog television signals within the United States. The VSB DTV signal is designed so its spectrum is likely to interleave with the spectrum of a co-channel interfering NTSC analog TV signal. This is done by positioning the pilot carrier and the principal amplitude-modulation sideband frequencies of the DTV signal at odd multiples of one-quarter the horizontal scan line rate of the NTSC analog TV signal that fall between the even multiples of one-quarter the horizontal scan line rate of the NTSC analog TV signal, at which even multiples most of the energy of the luminance and chrominance components of a co-channel interfering NTSC analog TV signal will fall. The video carrier of an NTSC analog TV signal is offset 1.25 MHz from the lower limit frequency of the television channel. The carrier of the DTV signal is offset from such video carrier by 59.75 times the horizontal scan line rate of the NTSC analog TV signal, to place the carrier of the DTV signal about 309,877.6 kHz from the lower limit frequency of the television channel. Accordingly, the carrier of the DTV signal is about 2,690122.4 Hz from the middle frequency of the television channel. The exact symbol rate in the Digital Television Standard is (684/286) times the 4.5 MHz sound carrier offset from video carrier in an NTSC analog TV signal. The number of symbols per horizontal scan line in an NTSC analog TV signal is 684, and 286 is the factor by which horizontal scan line rate in an NTSC analog TV signal is multiplied to obtain the 4.5 MHz sound carrier offset from video carrier in an NTSC analog TV signal. The symbol rate is 10.762238*106 symbols per second, which can be contained in a VSB signal extending 5.381119 MHz from DTV signal carrier. That is, the VSB signal can be limited to a band extending 5.690997 MHz from the lower limit frequency of the television channel.
The ATSC standard for digital HDTV signal terrestrial broadcasting in the United States of America is capable of transmitting either of two high-definition television (HDTV) formats with 16:9 aspect ratio. One HDTV format uses 1920 samples per scan line and 1080 active horizontal scan lines per 30 Hz frame with 2:1 field interlace. The other HDTV format uses 1280 luminance samples per scan line and 720 progressively scanned scan lines of television image per 60 Hz frame. The ATSC standard also accommodates the transmission of DTV formats other than HDTV formats, such as the parallel transmission of four television signals having normal definition in comparison to an NTSC analog television signal.
DTV transmitted by vestigial-sideband (VSB) amplitude modulation (AM) during terrestrial broadcasting in the United States of America comprises a succession of consecutive-in-time data fields each containing 313 consecutive-in-time data segments. There are 832 symbols per data segment. So, with the symbol rate being 10.76 MHz, each data segment is of 77.3 microseconds duration. Each segment of data begins with a line synchronization code group of four symbols having successive values of +S, xe2x88x92S, xe2x88x92S and +S. The value +S is one level below the maximum positive data excursion, and the value xe2x88x92S is one level above the maximum negative data excursion. The initial line of each data field includes a field synchronization code group that codes a training signal for channel-equalization and multipath suppression procedures. The training signal is a 511-sample pseudo-noise sequence (or xe2x80x9cPN-sequencexe2x80x9d) followed by three 63-sample PN sequences. The middle one of these 63-sample PN sequences is transmitted in accordance with a first logic convention in the first line of each odd-numbered data field and in accordance with a second logic convention in the first line of each even-numbered data field, the first and second logic conventions being one""s complementary respective to each other. The other two 63-sample PN sequences and the 511-sample PN sequence are transmitted in accordance with the same logic convention in all data fields.
The remaining lines of each data field contain data that have been Reed-Solomon forward error-correction coded after having been randomized and subjected to diagonal byte interleaving. In over-the-air broadcasting the error-correction coded data are then trellis coded using twelve interleaved trellis codes, each a ⅔ rate punctured trellis code with one uncoded bit. Trellis coding results are parsed into three-bit groups for over-the-air transmission in eight-level one-dimensional-constellation symbol coding, which transmission is made without symbol pre-coding separate from the trellis coding procedure. Trellis coding is not used in cablecasting proposed in the ATSC standard. The error-correction coded data are parsed into four-bit groups for transmission as one-dimensional-constellation sixteen-level symbol coding, which transmissions are made without precoding.
The VSB signals have their natural carrier wave, which would vary in amplitude depending on the percentage of modulation, suppressed. The natural carrier wave is replaced by a pilot carrier wave of fixed amplitude, which amplitude corresponds to a prescribed percentage of modulation. This pilot carrier wave of fixed amplitude is generated by introducing a direct component shift into the modulating voltage applied to the balanced modulator generating the amplitude-modulation sidebands that are supplied to the filter supplying the VSB signal as its response. If the eight levels of 3-bit symbol coding have normalized values of xe2x88x927, xe2x88x925, xe2x88x923, xe2x88x921, +1, +3, +5 and +7 in the carrier modulating signal, the pilot carrier has a normalized value of 1.25. The normalized value of +S is +5, and the normalized value of xe2x88x92S is xe2x88x925.
VSB signals using 8-level symbol coding will be used in over-the-air broadcasting within the United States, and VSB signals using 16-level symbol coding can be used in over-the-air narrowcasting systems or in cable-casting systems. However, certain cable-casting is likely to be done using suppressed-carrier quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals instead, rather than using VSB signals. The QAM signals can use 16-state, 32-state or 64-state two-dimensional symbol coding. This presents television receiver designers with the challenge of designing receivers that are capable of receiving either type of transmission and of automatically selecting suitable receiving apparatus for the type of transmission currently being received.
This specification assumes that the data format supplied for symbol encoding is the same in transmitters for the VSB DTV signals and in transmitters for QAM DTV signals using 64-state two-dimensional symbol coding. The VSB DTV signals modulate the amplitude of only one phase of the carrier at symbol rate of 10.76*106 symbols per second to provide a real signal unaccompanied by an imaginary signal, which real signal fits within a 6 MHz band because of its VSB nature with carrier near edge of band. Accordingly, the 64-state QAM DTV signals, which modulate two orthogonal phases of the carrier to provide a complex signal comprising a real signal and an imaginary signal as components thereof, are designed to have a symbol rate of 5.38*106 symbols per second. This complex signal fits within a 6 MHz band because of its QAM nature with carrier at middle of band. The PN sequences which appear in the initial data segment of each data field as transmitted in the VSB signal and supplied for symbol decoding do not appear in the initial data segment of each data field as transmitted in the QAM signal and supplied for symbol decoding. This is because in the 64-state QAM DTV signal the symbols code 6-bit groups of data in two orthogonal dimensions, rather than 3-bit groups of data being symbol coded in one dimension as done in VSB DTV signal. A different method of extracting data synchronization is required for the QAM DTV signal, rather than relying on match filters to respond to PN sequences in the symbol coding as done in the prior art during VSB DTV signal reception.
Data synchronization information for the QAM DTV signal or for the VSB DTV signal can be extracted from the results of symbol decoding, rather than being extracted directly from the symbol coding stream, the inventor points out in a U.S. provisional patent application entitled CIRCUITRY OPERATIVE ON SYMBOL DECODING RESULTS FOR SYNCHRONIZING DATA FIELDS IN A DIGITAL TELEVISION RECEIVER. The symbol decoding results are evaluated as a series of parallel-bit groups each descriptive of a respective symbol, and the occurrence of the symbols used as data synchronization sequences in VSB DTV signals is determined by match filtering of the symbol decoding results, rather than by directly match filtering the symbol codes that generate such decoding results. The extraction of data synchronization from symbol decoding results can provide better discrimination against erroneous detection of data synchronization than the prior-art technique of evaluating symbol polarity change patterns in baseband signals recovered during the reception of VSB signals. Extracting data synchronization from symbol decoding results is particularly useful in QAM/VSB DTV signal receivers capable of receiving both QAM and VSB DTV signals.
The apparatus employed in this previous invention includes at least one data slicer. A common form of data slicer comprises a bin amplitude comparator and read-only memory (ROM). The amplitude bins of the comparator conform to data slices of the digitized baseband symbol code signals, with the occupancy indication for the amplitude bin into which the amplitude of the current digital sample of baseband symbol code falls being a logic ONE and the occupancy indications for the other amplitude bins all being logic ZEROs. The ROM is addressed by the concurrent occupancy indications, which form a unary code, and converts that unary code to a binary code to supply parallel-bit-groups of successive symbol decoding results.
The apparatus employed in this previous invention further includes a shift register receiving as serial input thereto 3-parallel-bit groups each descriptive of a respective decoded symbol. Each match filter comprises respective 3-input decoders for the serial input signal to the first of a number of successive stages of the shift register and for the output signal of each stage in that number of successive stages. The 3-input decoder results are combined using an AND gate when match filtering is performed to detect data segment synchronization symbol code sequences. In other types of match filtering the decoder results are combined using a digital adder network, and a threshold detector responds to the summed decoder results exceeding a threshold value to detect data field synchronization symbol code sequences.
The inventor has subsequently observed that, in regard to VSB DTV signal reception and 64-state QAM DTV signal reception, the bin amplitude comparator portion of the data slicer supplying serial input signal to the shift register supplies serial responses for two of its bins that correlate with the parallel responses of successive ones of the 3-input decoders used in match filtering. This observation has led to the inventor""s understanding that the serial responses of these two bins can be supplied as 2-parallel-bit groups to a shift register for implementing a match filter that comprises respective 2-input decoders for the serial input signal to the first of a number of successive stages of the shift register and for the output signal of each stage in that number of successive stages. In this less preferred embodiment of the invention, the shift register with three bits stored in each stage is dispensed with in favor of the shift register with two bits stored in each stage, and each 3-input decoder used in match filtering is dispensed with in favor of a 2-input decoder. This results in considerable saving in digital hardware. Since a symbol can generate response in only one of two non-adjacent bins of the bin amplitude comparator, each 2-input decoder is redundant and can be eliminated in favor of a wired connection to receive one of the two bits in the 2-parallel-bit group to be decoded. Replacing the 2-input decoders with respective wired connections results in further saving in digital hardware.
The invention is embodied in a principal aspect thereof in a digital television signal receiver including a bin amplitude comparator in the data slicing circuitry for performing symbol decoding and match filtering to recover data synchronizing information from selected bin amplitude comparator responses generated during data slicing. The bin amplitude comparator concurrently supplies bin occupancy results for an amplitude slice including a value +S and for an amplitude slice including a value xe2x88x92S, which values +S and xe2x88x92S define the positive and negative excursions respectively of a binary data synchronization signal, current bin occupancy results being grouped together as two-parallel-bit serial input signal to a shift register clocked at symbol rate. Match filtering to detect data segment synchronization symbol code sequences is provided in accordance with an aspect of the invention by an AND gate supplied bits from selected storage locations in the shift register as wired input signals. In other match filtering performed in accordance with another aspect of the invention, a digital adder network receives bits from selected storage locations in the shift register as wired input signals, and a threshold detector responds to the summed bits exceeding a threshold value to detect data field synchronization symbol code sequences.